The Phantoms Secret
by Phantom'sDeath
Summary: Erik Dessler in in an asylum being interrogated by inspector John who is trying to find Christine and Raoul. John calls in Dante Blake, a mysterious detective, and when Erik learns this, he quickly escapes. Erik then seeks his revenge on Dante, who is more than what meets the eyes.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I most certainly do not own nor gain any monetary from this fan fiction story. The characters, setting, and names belong to the author who created them (Gaston Leroux) with his story of Phantom of the Opera._

**Author's Note: Hi all, and thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to read the first installment of my fanfic. This idea came to me when I had to write a horror paper for school, hope you enjoy!**

Chapter One

The only way Erik could keep from yelling out in pain was to ball up his fists so tight that his nails dug into his skin, drawing blood. "Alright that's enough for now." Said the gruff voice of inspector John, who stood in front of Erik in his uniform, his dark eyes trying their best to intimidate Erik, and his brown hair kept neat and trimmed, "Now then Erik, are you going to answer my question?"

Erik sat bound in his chair with a straightjacket on, his head down, and breathing heavily. But he soon regained his composure and looked inspector John dead in the eye's, which caused him to step back. The gold orbs that Erik possessed for eyes were unlike anything John had ever seen, and they frightened him. "Oh you must forgive me inspector, to which question are you referring?" Erik teased.

Growing impatient, John sucked air in through his nose and released it from his mouth in an attempt to clam himself down. It didn't work. "You know very well which question," John said through clenched teeth, "Where are Christine Daae and Raoul de Chaney?"

"Oh yes that's it," Erik laughed, "Haven't the faintest idea." And upon him saying this, John turned his back to Erik and started pacing, his hands held behind his back. This only caused Erik to smile under his black mask, even though he was the one in captivity, the one tied down, it was clear who held the power in the room.

Looking over at his man near the shock machine, John gave him a nod of his head, signaling for him to give Erik another burst of electricity. Following his look, Erik prepared himself for another dose of shock therapy, he excuse for John to keep coming down to see him. Yes, coming down to see him in Briggs Asylum, to 'supervise' his 'therapy'. Erik knew that he was only interested on finding Christine and Raoul, and he also knew that this information was the only thing keeping him alive.

The switch flipped.

Feeling the electricity coarse through his body gave Erik a sort of calming sensation, as well as something else, something more...sadistic. Reveling in his pain, Erik let out a booming laughter that filled the room, and chilled everyone in it to the bone.

"ENOUGH!" Barked John, "Take him AWAY!" And upon those words, Erik was unstrapped and dragged towards the door, but not before he gave John a look of promise, a look that chilled him even further.

After being tossed into him room, Erik turned over onto his back and sat up in the darkness. Erik could hear the footsteps of the guards grow fainter and fainter as they neared the guard table. And that's where he heard the best news in years.

"Hey Robert, did you hear, there's gonna be a new guy startin in a few days." One of the guards said.

"Really, what area is gonna be workin in?" Robert asked.

"He's comin in here, to our unit." The other said.

"Wh...what! But, what about Dessler, this new guy will di at the hands of that fiend!" Robert spoke, a little to loudly.

As the two continued their conversation Erik didn't care to listen anymore, he had the news he wanted, and soon, he would be free of this place. Sitting in the dark corner of his room while a storm kicked up, Erik started thinking of his plan.

At the end of the week, it was a clear bright morning as a young man with sandy brown hair and warm chocolate eyes walked up the steps of Briggs Asylum. "Excuse me," the young man started at the front desk, "I'm supposed to start work today as a guard in the left wing."

As soon as he said that the receptionist at the desk dropped what she was doing to give her full attention to the young man before her. "Your Monsieur Vincent?" She asked, her face paling at the thought of the left wing

"Indeed I am. I was just wondering to where I should be going." He told the receptionist.

Before she could reply, Robert stepped forward, "Ah Monsieur Vincent, good of you to join us, if you would follow me, I've been waiting all morning."

"Monsieur Robert I assume." Vincent said while striding towards Robert and engaging in a handshake.

Looking Vincent up and down, Robert grunted, "Follow me." He said before turning and stalking towards the dreaded left wing.

As the two of them were walking towards the left wing, Vincent was the first to speak, "Why does everyone I meet in here seem to be so terrified of this left wing?" he asked.

"The left wing," Robert sighed, "Is where the most dangerous lunatics are locked up."

"So there are a lot then, if new help is being hired?" Vincent inquired.

"Nope," Robert said bluntly, "Just the one."

"Only One!" Vincent nearly shouted, "Who is this man to be feared in such a way?! What did he Do?!"

"Keep your voice down," Robert hissed, "We don't want him to hear us talking about him, he has the ears of a fox." Leaning in closer to Vincent, Robert whispered, "Did you ever hear about the incident at the opera house years ago? The infamous Opera Ghost? That, is who we have here."

Leaning back to stand tall, Robert looked into Vincent's eyes, and saw the look of shock and horror in them, "Wha..What, why is he still alive after what he did!"

"Well, every day Inspector John comes down and 'talks' with him, looking for information on where Christine Daae and Raoul de Chaney are, but for years, Dessler has endured their 'talks' and wont tell him anything." Robert told him.

"But is it safe?" Vincent asked.

This question surprised Robert; he had never given it much thought as to whether it was safe to be in the left wing with the Opera Ghost, but now with the question asked, he thought about it for a moment. "Yes, it is quite safe as long as you follow the rules; Do not listen to him, his voice is hypnotic, it will entrance you into doing anything he says, Do not look him in the eyes, they are truly terrifying, the golden orbs with hellfire behind them, but the most important, do not ever, remove his mask." Robert warned.

"Is it true then, is his face really that monstrous?" Vincent prodded.

"It's much worse, I only saw it once before when an old college removed his mask thinking it was a joke..." Robert paused as a cold shiver ran down his back, "It was the worst thing that I had ever seen. But what he did to my college was truly monstrous; at first when his mask was removed he went into a wiled rage, he ripped through his straightjacket and ran towards him, my college then dropped the mask and turned to run, but Erik surprised us all by stopping, picking up his mask, placing it upon his face and then walked towards his room! Later that night when my college was set to watch Erik, he went to close to his room, and listened. I don't know what happened, but when I got there in the morning I found him dangling from the celling, a Punjab Lasso round his neck, and a horrible laughter filled with ice and malice filled the entire left wing." Robert couldn't tell anymore, the memories to terrifying.

Vincent was speechless, he couldn't believe what he was just told, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to be here anymore. "Come," Robert said, "There's work to be done."


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I most certainly do not own nor gain any monetary from this fan fiction story. The characters, setting, and names belong to the author who created them (Gaston Leroux) with his story of Phantom of the Opera._

**Author's Note: Hello again! Hope that you're enjoying the fanfic so far. It will get a lot faster very soon, but everything has to be put in place, so all in due time. ****J**

**Chapter Two**

Erik was lying on he mattress with his hands behind his head to act as a pillow, and his eyes closed. He could hear them, talking about him as they came down the hallway, _step step, whisper whisper_. This gave Erik a sense of joy, knowing that already, the new guard was frightened of him. _Well, time to make a first impression_, Erik thought to himself as the footsteps grew closer.

"Remember what I said, don't listen to him, don't look him in the eyes, and do NOT touch his mask, and you will be fine." Robert reminded Vincent.

As Erik laid on his mattress, he heard the footsteps stop right outside his door, and then hear the key go into the lock, and the rusty hinges swing open, _It's time,_ he thought, which only caused his grin to grow even more.

"Ahh, Robert," Erik happily sighed sarcastically, "Who have we brought this time?" His voice was truly hypnotic, for Vincent found himself already being spun into the spiders' web that Erik was spinning.

"Careful boy, don't let him get to you like that." Robert warned.

"Oh Robert your no fun," Erik pouted, "I only asked for his name." And that's when he opened his eyes, and looked straight into Vincent's soul. The boy was petrified, the way Erik was so at ease, just lying on the mattress, arms behind his head, pushing his head up just enough to stair right into Vincent's eyes. Erik's eyes narrowed as he looked Vincent up and down, and he then let out a small laugh. "This is the replacement, Robert, I thought you would do better. Tsk Tsk."

"Alright Dessler that's enough outa you." Robert said, grabbing one of Erik's arms and motioning for Vincent to grab the other.

Opening the door to 'therapy' room 5, Erik didn't even bother to look up, he knew what was in there already. The room was round, and there were benches in which people could watch and observe, the wooden chair with straps in the middle, and inspector John, looking arrogant as ever in his uniform, (standing at 5foot 8inches, not bad, but nothing compared to Erik's 6foot 4inches) and five officers ready to jump on Erik given the order. And one new guy.

As Erik was pushed down and tightly strapped in, he was already planning, _Your just going to have to swallow your pride..._he thought to himself, just before it began.

"AHHHHHHH" Erik yelled as he was shocked yet again, the voltage quite high. When the device was taken away from his temples, he lumped over and began breathing heavily, coughing at some points.

"Again!" John shouted to his men.

Right before the device was replaced, Erik slyly looked at Vincent, who was shocked to see what was happening.

_It's working..._

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Erik groaned again, his body tensing at the electric surge coursing its way through his body over and over. This time when it ended, John walked up to him, trying his best to intimidate Erik by standing tall, arms crossed over his chest, and a scowl deeply imprinted in his face, but a small smirk appeared at the corner's of his mouth, Erik had never screamed out in pain before, and he liked it.

"Now Dessler, are you ready to talk?" John's voice boomed, trying its best to sound like a grown of a wolf, ready to attack. _This is it! This is when he's going to tell me!_ John thought excitedly. Now Erik was breathing heavily, and trying his best to chock out an answer. "What did you say?" John inquired impatiently, leaning in closer to hear better.

"I...s...said that...I...d...don't know...anything." Erik sputtered, glairing up at John, his own smirk slowly appearing, before quickly vanishing as Erik caught Vincent in the corner of his eye.

Snapping back up, John's face was a bright red, and he was huffing and puffing with anger, "AGAIN!" he roared, "AND DON'T STOP UNTILL I SAY!" this shock went on for some time, before knocking Erik out and resulting in Robert and Vincent dragging him back to his cell.

"_Come one come all, See the Devil's Child!" yelled the gyspy man, hoping to draw a crowd, "Now those of you that are faint of heart better look away," he said, going closer to the small boy with the sack over his head, "Behold, the DEVIL'S CHILD!" he yelled, ripping the sack away from the boy, who desperately tried to hold onto it, causing his hands to cut open from the coarse material._

_ Gasps all around, as the crowd took in the sight of the small boy with the face of a skeleton; sunken checks and eyes, pale, almost transparent skin that allowed the veins to be seen, no nose, just two black holes in its place. And to make it even worse, a deep gash stretching from the top of his right lip all the way to his brow that was bleeding slightly._

_ But it wasn't long before the crowd started jeering at him, throwing whatever they could get their greedy hands on. No one saw the little boy of no more than ten years old sitting there, in immense pain, they just saw the deformed Devil's Child._

_ Tear's threatened to fall from his eyes, but he held them back, he wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of seeing him cry from their abuse._

_ Soon the gyspy man grabbed a handful of his ebony hair and started to bring him around the cage, letting people have a good look. And that's when he saw the young girl with long raven hair, maybe a few years older, not throwing anything, but crying. At first glance he thought she was just scared, but upon closer examination, Erik saw that... that she..._

_ pitied him. _

Erik sprang up from his mattress, covered in a cold sweat, his cloths clinging to his skeletal frame, his heart was raging in his chest, and his breathing was frantic. His memories, his horrible memories, resurfaced. _Maybe it was the electricity, that was the highest setting he has ever used on me before, _Erik thought while regulating his breathing. Looking at the small slit that was a window in his room, he saw that he had been unconscious for a long time, it was now the evening. Lying back down on his mattress, Erik let out a long sigh, and allowed for sleep to overtake him once again.

Back at the guard desk, Vincent was now fuming, and Robert could see he was going to explode soon. "Take a deep breath boy, and just tell me what's on your mind." Robert said in a calm manner.

Sucking in a breath of air, Vincent started, "What right do we have torturing a man like that!" he yelled, "How does inspector John justify that!" Vincent started pacing, giving Robert a chance to say something.

"Inspector John need's no reason, Erik is a dangerous man, and he has killed many people, and endured far worse torment than this, once you have been working here for a while you will see that Erik will be fine."

This earned Robert and icy glair from Vincent's brown eyes, that were normally so warn, now filled with anger and hate. "No man...should ever be treated as such." Vincent said through clenched teeth. And then, Vincent turned on his heal, and headed down the dark hallway...

...leading to Erik.

**Author's Note: How was that, I really liked this chapter, and soon things will start to come together, and someone new comes in next, the surprise character of this story. Pleas review!**


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I most certainly do not own nor gain any monetary from this fan fiction story. The characters, setting, and names belong to the author who created them (Gaston Leroux) with his story of Phantom of the Opera._

**Author's Note: Hello to all and thank you for the review, hoping that they will keep coming as you enjoy my fanfic.**

Chapter Three

Erik was lying on his thin mattress, staring up at the celling trying to ignore the cold and his hunger...and his pain. Every time John put the shock up higher, it would always reopen some cuts as the electricity coursed through his body. But Erik was ignoring the fact that his back was screaming at him, and that some blood was seeping through his shirt, as he thought of how he would escape the place that had been holding him captive for the last several years. And that's when he heard it.

One set of feet walking, coming closer, and it wasn't Robert, no. Erik had been listening to all the different ways Robert walked down this hallway for years, this was someone...new.

_Now it begins_. Erik thought to himself.

Peering through the small barred window into Erik's small room, Vincent saw his curled up figure lying on the mattress, shivering from both the cold and the pain from his earlier torment.

"Erik?" Called out Vincent's shaky voice, now void of its earlier confidence, being face to face (so to speak) with the infamous Opera Ghost. At first, nothing, Erik did not move in response to Vincent, and so he called out again, this time louder, "Erik."

This time however, Erik stopped shivering, and Vincent could hear his head turning in the darkness to look at him, and that's when he saw the two golden flames that were Erik's eyes. But he remained silent, waiting in the dark shadows of his cold stone room for Vincent to say something else.

"I...I came to...to see if you were alright." Was Vincent's shaky answer to Erik's silence. Then they were gone. The two fiery depths disappeared, and more silence came after.

Seeing that he wasn't going to get a response, Vincent was getting ready to turn on his heal to leave, but Erik stopped him. "Why do you care?" Erik's hypnotic voice asked, luring Vincent to stay.

Peering in through the small window, Vincent could only see darkness. "It wasn't right," He said, "The way they treated you."

"That is nothing to me anymore." Erik said, but this time his voice was behind Vincent, causing him to jump around in surprise and back against the door.

What a mistake he made.

Wasting no time, Erik launched himself to the barred window, located the pressure point in the neck, and swiftly hit it hard, causing Vincent to crumple to the ground. Laughing silently to himself, Erik knelt down towards the slit at the bottom of the door that allows food trays through.

Speaking in his most manipulative voice, Erik gave instructions to Vincent. "Now, when I snap my fingers, you will wake up and think that you tripped on your way back to the desk, and remember nothing until I say so." Erik cooed into Vincent's ear. And with a snap of his fingers, Vincent was awake with a jolt, standing up, he brushed the dust off his pants, and went beck to the desk.

Sitting back in the dark corner, Erik silently laughed to himself, _Not long now,_ he thought, _Now I just have to prepare myself for part two of the great escape._ Erik continued sitting in the dark corner, oblivious to the passing of time, just thinking of his plan. Soon a storm kicked up, and lightning flashed and thunder boomed, shacking the asylum, but Erik was to immersed in his thoughts to notice. _I've been away for to long, the world could use a little excitement._

While Erik thought of his master plan, he was unawares of a new threat that was coming in on the net train to Paris.

Sitting on one of the benches at the train station, a figure waited for the next train, reading and re-reading one letter over and over again.

_Dear Mr. Blake,_

_My name is John Arbour, and I am writing this letter in hopes that it will reach Dante Blake. I desperately need your help with my current case, involving the Phantom of the Opera, Erik Dessler. I know that since you are in America, you may not know of this ordeal that transpired in Paris, but then again, you might. This man has completely gone insane, but he is still crafty enough to work his way around all my interrogations. I need outside help with this, if you help me you will most assuredly become quite famous, and a large sum of money will be yours if you can overcome Erik's schemes._

_If you wish to help me, come at your earliest convenience,_

_~John Arbour_

Soon the train came into the station, and the Figure boarded it, and started heading towards Paris.

_Could he, _the figure thought,_ Could this Erik be the one I've been searching for for so long?_

Already lost in thought, Dante didn't notice the passage of time during the train ride.

As the early morning rays of sunlight streamed into Erik's cell, he was still sitting in the dark corner, waiting for those familiar footsteps. _Taking their sweet time today,_ Erik thought darkly, but not minding it, his body could use all the rest it could get. Bruised and bloodied, cuts and scars littering his body, never really healing because of the electricity, always coursing though his body looking for a way out, the cuts always give way, reopening and bleeding. Sometimes Erik could barely move his body from the beatings the guards or inspector John would give him, they have definitely broken many bones before. Thinking about this made him wince slightly, while he was not a man to whine about pain, it certainty was not something he wanted to experience again, but he knew he would.

Erik was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of footsteps... John's footsteps. Erik silently decided something right then and there. He would make John's life easy, he would fight him ten times more every time he came for him.

"Erik, show yourself." John said, a weariness to his voice, he dod not have time for Erik's games today. But Erik was going to have his fun.

"I'm here." Erik whispered in John's right ear.

"Erik!" John yelled.

"Yes?" Erik teased, this time next to one of the guards, causing him to jump.

"Your not going to be interrogated today, I just came to tell you that I have called in someone else to take over your cane, Dante Blake, and he is on his way here to Paris as we speak." And with that said, John turned on his heal, and walked out the door.

_No, nonono, _was all Erik could think, _No , this will ruin everything, EVERYTHING._ Huffing, Erik started pacing within the small confines of his cell. _I will have to move up my plans if I am to escape this place, and Dante Blake._

**Author's Note: Ooooooooo, things are starting to take place. Well what did you think of this chapter, new and exciting things are going to unravel, and a shock in the next chapter, and an even bigger one down the road. Haha, please review, it would be greatly appreciated. **


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I most certainly do not own nor gain any monetary from this fan fiction story. The characters, setting, and names belong to the author who created them (Gaston Leroux) with his story of Phantom of the Opera._

**Author's Note: Hey all and thanks for these wonderful reviews! Hoping for more and more. Now, I think it's time Erik had a bit of happiness, don't you?**

Chapter Four

Lying on his mattress, Erik stared at the celling, not knowing what t o do. This was the first time in years that he wasn't being shocked for a few hours a day, and he was enjoying every moment of it. As time passed, he watched as the small stream of light slid across the celling of his dark and damp room, until he soon drifted of into, for the first time in years, a peaceful sleep.

_Erik lay there on his sofa, looking out at the lake that surrounded his home, it looked peaceful, very peaceful, or maybe that was because Erik was at peace. Looking down at what he held in his arms, he could not help the large grin that spread across his face. Christine, sleeping soundly in his arms, her soft honey brown hair spread around her, the peaceful breaths she took and the slime that seemed to appear every time she sucked in a breath. Enjoying this moment, Erik held her even closer to him, and leaned his head back to sleep once again._

_ "Erik." Cooed a soft voice that surly belonged to an angel, "Erik wake up." It giggled. Opening his eyes, Erik was greeted by the most beautiful women smiling up at him._

_ "Hello my sweet angel." He whispered back, his voice full of love, only causing her smile to grow even more (if that was possible)._

_ Did we really fall asleep here?" she laughed, tracing her finger over the seams in his shirt, gazing lovingly up at his face. His face, she didn't care at all about it, and it amazed him still. _How does she not care?_ Erik thought to himself as Christine snuggled deeper into his embrace, _Whatever it is, I don't care, as long as she's mine._ He thought, holding her as closely as he could._

_ "Don't ever leave me Erik." She whispered into his chest, breathing in his sent as though she would die without it._

_ "I'm not going anywhere, I'm yours, always." He whispered back to her reassuringly, stroking her hair in an attempt to sooth her, "And you can never leave me." He added, the possessiveness clear in his voice, only causing Christine to love him all the more._

_If only this moment could have lasted..._

Waking up from his dream, Erik felt a bit of wetness under his mask, but didn't bother to wipe it away.

It was a bury day in Paris, the streets clustered with people going in all different directions. It took John longer to get to the train station than he would have liked, but it couldn't be helped, it was a crazy day.

The clocked struck 12 noon, any minute now Dante would be by John's side and off to take a look at Erik. Such a thought caused the inspector to snort in amusement. _Soon Erik, it will be I laughing at you._ John thought evilly, a wicked grin spreading across his clean-shaven face.

Soon he could hear the sound of the train coming into town, and as he went over to look for this mysterious Dante Blake, his mind began to think of how this person became so famous.

_Slumping down into his desk, John had had a tiring day with Erik, that man could certainly withstand pain. Letting out a long breath and rubbing his forehead, John's friend came over._

_ "Hello there John, what's got you so down today?" Bernard asked joyously._

_ "What do you think Bernard, it's that mad man, Erik Dessler!" John barked back to his friend, much rougher than he meant to._

_ Bernard put his hands up in a mock surrender while pulling up a chair to sit with his friend. "No luck today then I take it." Bernard sighed, he truly felt bad for his friend being stuck with this case._

_ "No." John said through gritted teeth._

_ "Well maybe you can write a letter to this Dante Blake guy, seems to be quite popular in America!" Bernard thought, regaining his lighthearted tone._

_ "Who?"_

_ "You haven't heard, oh he's all the rage now, Dante Blake, mysterious letter detective, or that's what the headlines say. This guy will just send in letters telling the local police who the guilty party is, and he's always right! I'm telling you John, you should write to this guy." Bernard said matter-of-factly._

_ "Oh sure!" John mocked, "I'll ask the guy in AMERICA to come all the way to PARIS FRANCE to help me with a case."_

_ Seeing his friend wasn't in the mood, Bernard got up to leave, "I'm just saying, what have you got to lose, you've tried everything and nothing works, you might as well exhaust all the resources before giving up." He sighed, and then walked away, leaving John to think about his crazy idea, only a bit more seriously._

The shrill cry from the trains air horn brought John out of his thoughts. The conductor let out the call for all passengers to vacate the train, and John composed himself for Dante's imminent arrival.

"Excuse me?" came a soft voice from behind him, trying it's best to use French. Sighing, John turned around to see a very beautiful woman standing in front of him, luggage in hand. Her hair a dark chocolate, flowing down around her shoulders, her light hazel eyes looking back at him. Something familiar in them.

"Can I help you?" John asked in French, the impatience clear in his voice.

"Well, I thought it was I who was supposed to help you." She replied, doing her best to keep up with the French. Seeing his confused look, an amused smile spread across her lips, and her light hazel eyes gleaming with glee, but also a hint of concern.

"And what, pray tell, are you supposed to help me with?" John asked, scoffing at the idea of a _woman_ helping him with something.

After he said this, the woman pulled a letter out of her jacket pocket, and after analyzing it to make sure it was the right document, handed it to John.

Grabbing the paper from his hands, John skimmed it, his eyes growing wide. "This is my letter, how did you get this, did Dante send you?" John asked excitedly.

"No, Dante did not send me, he does not exist." She said plainly.

Now he was confused. What was she saying? Dante doesn't exist? He didn't send her? What is Happen...

Oh...

"No, that's...that's not possible." John stammered, "You...you cant be...you're..." He couldn't finish his sentence. What woman would do something like this, it simply wasn't, it wasn't...Proper! "YOUR DANTE!" he finally got out.

A nod of her head was the only response John received...

**Author's Note: Wow, did not see that coming did you. Dante's a girl, woah, no one saw that coming, and if you did, I am impressed. But Erik's flashback, even if short, I think it was so sweet, he needs some happiness don't you agree? Let me know with a lovely review!**


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I most certainly do not own nor gain any monetary from this fan fiction story. The characters, setting, and names belong to the author who created them (Gaston Leroux) with his story of Phantom of the Opera._

**Author's Note: Hi all! Sorry for my absence, but I have so much to do. But nothing can keep me from my fanfic! So I bet you have some questions from my last chapter. What's the deal with Dante right! Lets find out.**

Chapter Five

Looking out over the fields of the estate from a window on the second floor, Christine continued to try and remain happy. It was a beautiful day, the sun is shining, the sky is clear and blue, the birds singing,

But it wasn't right, not without _him_ with her. Her one love, was no where near and every morning this crushed her heart into oblivion.

_I'll find a way back to him, I have to. I wont be able to live without him for much longer. _And not a moment longer, Christine set to work, writing a letter addressed to one Madam Giry, begging for help in her escape.

This wasn't possible, Dante...A woman...How Improper! John was at a loss as to what coarse of action to take with the woman that now sat across from him at his desk at the station.

Running his hands through his hair one last time, he started, "So, am I correct to assume that Dante, is not your real name?"

"No, my real name is Dianna." She replied flatly.

"And why did you put up this charade of being a man, why were you solving crimes?" John asked, becoming more and more irritated.

"That is a lone story misu-"

"Don't tell me it's a long story!" he all but yelled, "I WANT ANSWERS...NOW!"

Taken aback by this, Dianna saw she had no way around this, and with a weary sigh, she began her tale.

"Why did I start this you ask? The answer is simple; I am looking for my brother. But how it came to this, is the story." She paused, as she could see John calming down now, and settling into his chair with curiosity written all over his face, and so she started.

"My mother, was a saint when it came to me or the people in the town, always helping with the children when their parents had business to attend to, always helping when people had no where to go. She was the mother every child wanted. At least that was what I thought..."

_"AHHHHHHHHH" cried the little six year old girl as she sat up in bed, a cold sweat causing the sheets and her night cloths to cling to her little body. She began to weep, it was such a horrible dream, but her mother wasn't there to comfort her at the moment, she was away at a party._

_ "Dianna!" cried a young male voice, "Dianna are you alright?!" it continued. And soon her door burst open to reveal a young teen, around the age of 16, worry stricken, rushing over to be by her side._

_ "Dianna please answer me, are you alright?" he asked again, a little calmer this time._

_ The blubbering girl clung to his shirt, her head nestled to his chest as he held her and stroked her hair, but she attempted to stifle the cries and calm herself long enough to answer._

_ "Y-yes, I-I'm fine." She managed to chock out, "I-I had such a terrible dream!" she cried as new tears stung her already puffy eyes. Now she was looking up at the boy now, looking straight into his eyes, oh how she loved his eyes, the bright amber orbs always cutting through the darkness, always finding her when she was alone and scared, always soft when looking at her._

_ "It was only a dream Dianna, it won't hurt you, I'm here and nothing is going to hurt you." He cooed to her, finally succeeding in calming her down, "Would you like me to sing you back to sleep?"_

_ At this she perked, she loved to hear him sing, his voice was unlike any other, it was the voice of an angel. "Yes."_

_ Laying her back down and tucking her in, he started to sing a soft song, his voice filling her with a sense of safety._

_Nighttime sharpens_

_Heightens each sensation._

_Darkness stirs and wakes imagination,_

_Silently the senses abandon their defenses_

_Slowly gently_

_Night unfurls its splendor_

_Grasp it sense it tremulous and tender._

_Turn your face away,_

_From the garish light of day._

_Turn your thoughts away_

_From the cold unfeeling light_

_And listen to the music of the night..._

_As he continued, he could see that she had fallen back asleep, and so he silently crept out of the room and headed for his...prison. If he was caught outside of the attic, it meant a lashing from that saint of a mother, and he wanted to avoid that as much as possible, his old wounds still ached from the memory._

"I don't know what happened to him, but he just wasn't there one day, and my mother would stiffen at any mention of him, so that's when I started doing this, I would solve any case that I could, while looking for any sigh of my brother. I had no luck until my mother was on her death bed, that's when she told me what she did, and that's where my lead started, and this is where it's taken me." Dianna summed up.

"What did she do?" John found himself asking like a little boy being told a bedtime story.

"I-I'd rather not talk of that right now." She told him, the pain clear in her voice.

Regaining his composure, John cleared his throat, "Of coarse, I apologize for my asking." And when she nodded her acceptance, he stood up and walked to her side, extending his are, "Shall we, I do believe that we have a mad man to question." And with that, they were off to the asylum.

_Not long now_ Erik thought, _It's almost time, and soon I'll be rid of this place, and of _her.

**Author's Note: Hi all, and many apologies for my absence, life is getting in the way. I hope you like this chapter and that it answers some questions. Don't worry, more answers are coming, as well as some action. Don't forget to review!**


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I most certainly do not own nor gain any monetary from this fan fiction story. The characters, setting, and names belong to the author who created them (Gaston Leroux) with his story of Phantom of the Opera._

**Author's note: Welcome back! And a big hello to anyone new to the story! Now I hope that my last update was satisfactory. In this chapter there is a brief meeting between Dianna and Erik. HAHA. Please enjoy and review, I'd love to get some feedback!**

Chapter Six

Walking to the asylum felt like an eternity for Dianna. She would finally find out if this man, this _Phantom_, was indeed her brother. Oh how she wanted him to be...and yet...she didn't. She wouldn't want her brother to be the killer of all those people, his murder count was to high, and those were the only ones she knew of, what if there were countless others?

No, she would not dwell on that matter now, first she had to see if this man was indeed her brother, then she would think of such matters.

_What am I going to say to him? _She thought glumly, _Sorry for the years cast away, living as nothing more than a profit, beaten and berated...tortured. Will he even remember me?_ All these thoughts crowded her mind, and she became frantic to get to the asylum.

Picking up the pace she shouted back to John, "Come on John! Hurry, we must get to the asylum!"

"I knew I should have called a coach." John mumbled to himself before jogging to catch up with the woman _She certainty has determination, that's for sure._

Sitting in his darkened corner like always, Erik was baffled. _Not only did he skip on my 'interrogation' again, but now he hasn't even visited. What could be so impor-_

_Oh..._

_ So she's finally showed up has she. Well then, I guess it's time to get out of here._ With that, Erik rose from his corner and walked towards the door. Gripping the bars he called for Vincent...

Soon it was in view...Briggs Asylum. _I'm almost here, brother, soon we will meet again._

"Coming Mademoiselle?" John grunted.

"Yes."

Why was he going to this man, he had work to do! Yet...with one call...he had to go.

Reaching Erik's door, he saw an evil glint in the man's fiery amber eyes, and it sent a chill down his spine.

"Hello Vincent." Erik said coyly. It was clear to Vincent that this was not going to be good.

"What...Why am I here?" Vincent asked, a little scared, but also annoyed.

"Oh Vincent, why must you be so forward and spoil all my fun? Erik pouted, "Surely you must know why you are here?"

"Your using me to break out aren't you?"

"Yes, but you will also be delivering a message for me, to the lovely Dianna."

"To who?"

"All in due time" a wicked grin spread across Erik's visible features. And snapping his fingers, Vincent's mind went blank.

Walking up the steps into the asylum, Dianna became more and more nervous. She felt like the building was casting a spell on her, she felt weak.

Walking into the building in tow of John, she saw him approach a man who had to be an orderly.

"Robert, if you would be so kind as to me and Miss. Blake up to the left wing." John asked, it was just business as usual.

"Sure thing sir, but, are you sure you want a lady up there with that mad man?" Robert asked, the concern clear in his voice.

"It will be fine," John assured him, "She will be well protected"

"Alright then, this way." Robert replied, not completely convinced.

Walking up and to the left wing, Dianna noticed that the upkeep of the asylum deteriorated until it just wasn't looked after at all.

They had reached the left wing.

Not a sound was present except for the three of them walking down the hall ways. But when they reached the guard desk, Robert and John immediately took notice and became ridged.

"What's wrong?" Dianna asked

"Vincent should be here." Robert said plainly.

"I'll go and look for him, all the doors are looked, yes?" John said.

"Yes, we will stay put, but are you sure that you should go alone, you know that –"

"Yes I know!" John shouted, "I am well aware that he want's me dead, but it is my duty to do this, I must go." And with that, John took off down the hallway.

A body lay sprawled out on the floor...and Erik's door ajar.

"VINCENT!" John shouted in his concern, but immediately caught himself, he couldn't let Erik know he was there.

But it was to late...

Faster than John thought humanly possible, Erik was upon him, his bony hands with their slender fingers already wrapping around his throat. The grasp was impervious! Erik's lock on him was airtight, and John knew he was going to die, this was the end.

"No...Not yet for you." Erik whispered in his ear moments before John fainted, "There's still a use for you." And then John was no longer a threat, he was unconscious.

Quickly and quietly, Erik stuck to the shadows concealing himself from sight, and made his way down the hallway.

"Shouldn't John be back by now?" Dianna asked, her concern growing with each passing minute.

"Shhh, don't you think it's quiet?"

Unsure as to what to make of this she told him, "Of coarse it's quiet, no one is here except for us, John, Vincent and, Erik."

"Yes but, there are no mice scurrying across the floor." Robert told her, now becoming afraid.

Thinking about this, Dianna knew he was right, not even a mouse was to be heard, "He's here, isn't he?" She whispered.

And as if on cue, a laughter filled with hatred and amusement entered the room.

"Of coarse, sweet Dianna, I am always here, I am a phantom after all!" the voice came from behind them, causing them to jump around to see...no one.

Robert fell to the floor, leaving Dianna alone, in the dark.

As she backed up, she hit a hard substance, but it couldn't have been the wall, she was still in the middle of the room and it was to thin...Erik. Before she could spin around his hand caught her mouth to muffle any screams she might make, and he whispered in her ear.

"Sweet, sweet Dianna, little Dianna. What makes you think I ever wanted to be found?" His voice was dripping with cold resentment and hatred.

Hitting a pressure point in her neck, she crumpled to the floor, leaving Erik in the darkness, thinking of how the hell he was going to get out of there.

**Author's Note: Well, Well? What did you think? I'd love a review from each and every one of you who are reading, it would make this author super happy! Also, I am willing to incorporate any ideas you might have as to what you want to see or how you want this story to continue, but there are set things that will be happening, and I assure you, you will not expect them!**


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